1986555 - signature specified as path to HTML file does not work when profile directory is copied to non-standard location

Status: UNCONFIRMED

(MailNews Core :: Account Manager, defect)

Description

[Jonathan Kamens]

I experienced this on Linux, I don't know whether it is a problem on other platforms as well.

1. Create a new TB profile with an account configured.
2. Create an HTML signature file in the file ~/dir1/dir2/signatures/signature.html.
3. Create a new identity in the new TB profile which specifies the absolute path to that file as the signature for that identity.
4. Quit TB.
5. Copy the TB profile directory you just created out of your home directory into /tmp.
6. Run thunderbird --profile [dir], where [dir] is the location you copied the profile directory to.
7. Compose a message and select the identity with the file signature.
8. Observe that the signature is not loaded into the message.
9. Open account settings and click manage identities.
10. Edit the identity created in step 3.
11. Observe how the absolute path you configured in step 3 is no longer correct.

Looking at the code in nsMsgIdentity.cpp and nsMsgUtils.cpp, it appears at first glance (I did not look too closely) like this is supposed to be handled properly, i.e., it appears that if the relative path saved in the preferences doesn't work then the absolute path is supposed to be used instead (otherwise why would both the relative and absolute preference name be passed into NS_GetPersistentFile?), but that doesn't appear to be what's happening.

Comment 1

[Jonathan Kamens]

I tried to regress this bug but it was already broken in 2019 so I gave up.

Comment 2

[Magnus Melin [:mkmelin]]

IIRC both the rel and absolute prefs are saved (this was for some ancient back-compat) but if the rel pref is there, that will be used.